Angelically Charmed: Baneful Memories
"Mommy!"
"My girls" Prue could only beam inwardly as Amanda, Ally and Austin all bounded into her lap where she laid spread out on the couch, with an old afghan covering her legs. Although she was excited to see Ally and Austin, Prue was most relieved to see that Amanda had returned to her normal youthful stage of a healthy eight year old girl.
"Mommy, I fighted demons with Ally and Melinda, they got big too and had powers just like me and-" The oldest Angelic child continued to chatter incisively until Andy entered the room.
"Okay, girls, I think we're all happy that Mommy is home but she needs to rest so that she can help Aunt Piper find Aunt Paige"
One by one, Prue kissed each of her daughters and watched as they jump from the couch and scampered off back into the solarium, paving the way for Andy to spend a quality moment with their mother.
"Welcome back," Andy kissed Prue tenderly before taking a seat on the edge of the couch letting out a deep seeded sigh. The two of them had a lot to talk about "Prue I-" he began just as Prue turned her head away deadpanning anything else he might have wanted to say.
She didn't want to talk now, especially about them. There was too much going on and she needed to concentrate all of her energy on saving Paige. Shortly after her arrival home Leo had been called "up there" to meet with the Elder's. All assumed it had something to do with Paige's banishment.
"C'mon Prue you can't ignore me. I didn't do anything wrong"
"Now Evidently she thinks you did"
Both Andy and Prue looked up to see Bane standing the door jam looking smug.
"Do you mind? I'm trying to have a private conversation with my wife"
Bane just shrugged nonchalantly, "Looks like to me, you're the only one who's conversing"
Andy's upper lip started to curl and Prue's hand shot upward in a warning style fashion stopping him from carrying out the thoughts that were flooding his brain. She then glared at Bane, signaling him to leave.
"fine, I'll leave you two alone"
Prue then spotted a pen and pad of paper on the table and called for it telekinetically with her hand. The pen and paper flew through the air, landing in her lap. Andy watched curiously as she picked up the pen and started to write.
Please back off and give Bane a chance. Being a whitelighter is new to him"So that gives him permission to openly hit on you?" Anger clearly creased through Andy's brow as Prue continued to write.
You have to remember, the last time I saw him we….
"Made love, thank you for reminding of me that" Andy retorted as if Prue was somehow trying to justify Bane's behavior.
"It's hard for him…"
Fed up, Andy pulled to his feet and started for the kitchen, "is it hard for him or is it hard for you?"
Prue's eyes hit the sofa as she tossed the pad of paper across the room in frustration. No one would or could understand that what she had shared with Bane was nothing more than a moment of need, of mutual respect built upon infatuation. She had to admit Bane was still sexy as hell but she could never love him…not like she loved Andy.
In the kitchen, Andy stood over the kitchen sink gazing distantly out the window. He hated to admit it, but he did begrudge Prue just a little for sleeping with Bane, not that he could blame her exactly. He was dead at time and had no hope of ever returning to her life.
As Andy continued to mull his thoughts, Barbus appeared behind him, reading his fear. Gazing at his palm the demon snickered, "So Natalie was right, your greatest fear is losing Prue to another man. I'll have to keep that in mind" with a wave of his hand, Barbus started the process of playing on the Tracer's insecurity and then disappeared.
A vision of Prue dressed in black leather rubbing up against Bane appeared in Andy's mind. They're lips were just millimeters apart. Bane's hands were on her hips…they were kissing…
Unsuspecting, Bane walked through the swinging door, causing Andy to whirl. The crossbow appeared in his hands, firing without warning. Orbs exploded around the new whitelighter dragging him to safety while the arrow to lodge itself into the door.
"What the hell?" Bane's body shook with anger and fear as he reappeared in the same spot to see Andy advancing heatedly with the crossbow resting at his side. The two men bumped shoulders in a warning like fashion before Andy left the room.
"Stay away from my wife"
"No can do" Bane hissed silently
When he entered the main room, Andy saw Leo and an Elder, Kaun, dissolving into the living room. "Where's Piper?" Leo asked.
"I'm right here" Piper stood on the bottom step of the stairs, holding onto the rail. "What's going on? Did you find anything out about Paige?"
"No we didn't" Leo answered uneasily as his wife approached them.
Spotting the activity from the stairs, Prue tossed back her afghan and pulled to her feet, padding slowly towards the stairs. Her equilibrium was still off and made her wobble just little.
"Two Elder's were killed earlier this afternoon and another was critically wounded" Leo began slowly watching Piper's head begin to shake in curious, wonder.
"I'm sorry to hear that but what does all of this have to do with Paige?"
"IT WAS YOU!" Kaun blasted shooting an electrical bolt straight at the unsuspecting witch. Helena said it was you!" The bolt struck Piper with all of the fierceness of a live wire, electrocuting her instantly, burning her skin and clothing.
"Piper!" Prue tried to scream but nothing but a mutated howl came out. Reacting out with emotion the oldest Charmed one, drew her arm back retaliating with a telekinetic blast of her own which sent Kaun straight through the Solarium wall.
Leo, Prue and Andy all fell to Piper's side, huddling around the injured witch. Her body was trembling violent and her skin was smoking raw from the burns.
"Hurry, invisible orb us out of here now!" Leo ordered looking Andy. Leo knew that if Andy could cloak them temporarily that would give them time to heal and hide Piper from any further retaliation.
Where? The tracer balked for a moment, Invisible with orbing was Amanda's specialty, a trick that he had never used except on himself.
"I don't care! Anywhere and Hurry!" Leo shouted as Kauhn started to recover.
"Leo you cannot do this!" Kaun thundered watching the foursome disappear into a set of blue and clear orbs. "You shall all be recycled!"
"A cave? You orbed us to an underworld cave?" Prue could only shout mentally but her words still came out loud and clear.
"It's okay" Leo panted, as he set Piper down on the hard stone floor and started to heal her wounds. "The Elders' can't sense us in the Underworld."
"I thought it was better solution than trying to cloak all us" Andy returned not knowing how long his cloaking power would last. The trio remained silent for several minutes watching intently as Piper's bloody wounds began to close. "Why would they think Piper would want to the kill the Elders?"
"Retaliation for taking Paige, only the Elder's claim they don't have Paige"
Prue and Andy both exchanged curious glances. "If they didn't take Paige then who did?"
"I don't know, someone who would want the Elder's to think that Piper has turned on them." Leo continued to hold his hand over his injured wife, praying that all of her wounds would heal. Healing a blast from an Elder was much harder than healing your normal demonic blast due to the magnitude of energy that accompanied their powers.
"You and Prue go back to the manor and take the kids up to the realm. They'll be safe from the Elder's in Melinda's garden"
"Fine" Andy huffed, "But Prue's staying here with you, she's still much too weak to combat with the Elders or anyone else for that matter" the truth was Andy didn't want Prue anywhere near Bane but as soon as the words left his mouth Andy knew they were a mistake. One he should never underestimate the power of Superwitch and two, nothing would ever keep Prue from going after someone who had hurt one of her sisters, especially Piper. Piper was true heart and soul of the Halliwell family.
"Forget, I said that," he mumbled sheepishly as Prue smacked him hard in the arm and shot her best, I can take care of myself glare. Andy grabbed her wrist and two ascended back into the manor where everything was quite.
"I think he's gone" Andy commented surveying the mess outside of the Solarium. Let's get the girls". Together the couple walked hand in hand up the stairs where they found Bane in the attic with all of the kids.
"I figured this was the safest place in the house to get the kids away from the Elder guy" Strangely Bane was standing in front of the Book of Shadows gazing at the Mortal Tracer/Mandela page; the vanquishing section clearly marked. All he needed was a relic arrow from Mandela to begin his life with Prue.
"Why didn't you try orbing?" Andy snapped picking up both Ally and Austin, while Prue tended Melinda and Amanda taking a hold of their hands.
"Is we going to Auntie Melinda garden?" Ally asked knowingly from experience. Over the years, the afterlife garden had become a safe haven for the Halliwell children and other wayward innocents.
"Just for a little while baby, until it's safe"
"Yeah well Prue won't be safe until she's away from you" Bane thought darkly as he lifted Declan into his arms, following Prue and Andy into the afterlife.
Cole appeared with Drake in a remote part of ancient Venice clutching his friend by the throat. "Welcome to my home" he hissed drawing out a dagger and pointing it directly at Drake's groin area.
"You..you didn't really mean what you said about castration did you?" A nervous smile of amusement swept over Drake's face at the mere thought making him wonder if he had the power to take on the mighty Belthazor.
"What do think?" Cole kept a hold of Drake's jacket, and pulled them beneath the ground to an old style torture chamber complete with stocks and a quartering device.
Up above, a mysterious female stood in the alleyway where she had watched the events between Cole and Drake unfold. She was dressed in a white lace dressed complete with a matching veil and gloves that covered the majority of her body with the exception of her eyes.
"I cannot let you make such a dire mistake Casanova if you do, your soul will be damned forever" Slowly and unseen by anyone she slipped through an open door and kept down at set of stairs which led to Colesenova's chamber.
Cole already had Drake chained spread eagle to the quartering device and was turning the wheel that led to a set of ropes, which would literally tear the demon into two.
When he was certain that he had the position set, Cole stopped the wheel and again pulled out his dagger, holding it threateningly over Drake. "Comfortable? I didn't think so? But don't worry, after I cut off your family jewels, I'm going to let my little machine here tear you in half and then I'd feed you to the dogs where they'll lick your filthily woman stealing bones clean.
From the corner of his eye Colesnova caught side of a shadow moving along the wall. It was that of the woman, "Well now it looks like we have company" lowering the dagger, Colesnova moved towards the woman grinning. "Mi lady, I do so enjoy your loveliness but this really isn't something you wish too see"
Still grinning he caught her smile through her veil as she started to whisper. "I have the power, he has the key. Show Casanova the face he wishes to see" Slowly the woman began to strip the veil from her face prompting Colesenova's face to go white.
"Phoebe" Both Colesenova and Drake dared to whisper.